Travelling with Dogs by air

blitzpacker

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Aug 15, 2011
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Has anyone moved to the Dominican from Canada with small dogs? What were the implications? Which airline, could they travel in the cabin with you? Did you have any problems on arrival? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Heavily talked about here.... search it.
Entry is easy w./ your vaccinations, etc and 300+/- pesos

WestJet is $50 in the cabin..... one per passenger
Not sure about Air canada

AA is $150 each way........ $$$$$$$$

Consensus here is that below is easier on the dog.... less stress/activity........ same price.
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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Westjet is the way to go. They are an awesome airline for the budget traveller and also fly into El Catey now. I have flown AA once and swore off that nasty airline. The criteria for the dog is on the Westjet website. Get the shots,
 

Spicedwine

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We have travelled (and moved) here with a small dog. We lost our original dog a year ago, but just travelled with our 9 month old, back to Canada, and return to here. American Airlines is expensive, but they are the ones who maintain a schedule all year round. Both of our dogs have travelled in the cabin with us, with no difficulty. A bit concerned about the "baby" this trip, but he travelled like a trouper....
Just make sure you have all your papers in order, vaccinations, and health certificate from your Canadian Vet, and pay the fee at the airport and you should have no problem. I also had a dog travel in Cargo because of his size, and had no problems then either. I prefer to have them close, so they can be reassured that everything is cool.
Good luck and as the OP stated there are lots of previous threads on this topic. So just use the search and you will find lots of opinions and information.
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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Westjet is year round. AA flight I took was far longer than the 4 hours flight to Canada on Westjet. Time for travel is important to a travelling dog. While I suppose attitude is a matter of timing, I can tell you the Westjet crew have been consistently dog friendly for my travels.
 

belgiank

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Jun 13, 2009
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we haven't traveled from Canada, but transported around 16 dogs in total from Europe. All advice above regarding papers and vaccinations are correct. If at all possible, get the vet papers in spanish as well.

We personally believe in cargo, but then again our dogs are too big to travel cabin anyway. More important is to train your dog to be used to, and to be comfortable in, his crate. All our dogs are crate-trained, and a new one we get him used to it by feeding him in it, then sleeping in it, etc... so he finds it a safe place to be in.

We personally do not feed our dogs before travel, and do not give them any medication either.

Good luck and happy travels
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Westjet is year round. AA flight I took was far longer than the 4 hours flight to Canada on Westjet. Time for travel is important to a travelling dog. While I suppose attitude is a matter of timing, I can tell you the Westjet crew have been consistently dog friendly for my travels.

If the dog flies below... as baggage... there are restrictions....Oct 31 to May 1...... no summer flying
 

judypdr

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Jul 23, 2011
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Can't speak to flying from Canada but had very good experiences flying from Washington, DC, via Miami to Puerto Plata twice with my (small) Bichon Frise. She flew in the cabin (under the seat in front of me). The hardest part for me was making sure she had a chance to "do her business" before boarding the plane(s). In DC, that meant a slight detour after checking in to find some grass outside. In Miami, it was a huge bother because the dog park is outside (of the airport building and thus security) and was a little difficult to find. Plus, it has NO GRASS! Nice little doggie bags but only rocks and flower beds. Going through security was interesting. In addition to taking off my shoes and putting everything nicely in the relevant bins, I had to take her out of the carrier and send the carrier through xray. Had to take off her collar and tags and then walk through security. Allow extra time in case they decide to hand search you. For most well-trained house dogs, the four to six hour flights are not a problem in the cabin. My bichon is a little anxious when I leave her so bathroom trips for me meant a bark or two but my seatmates were very understanding. Much better behaved than most children. Be sure to get a rolling carrier. It made all the difference in the world to handling everything, especially when flying back and going through customs. If your paperwork is in order, there's really no problem at the airport. Having pesos helps but so does speaking Spanish. American Airlines let me take her into the Admirals Club. Hope this helps ease your mind. PS- I give her only bottled water here in the Dominican but larger dogs seem to do OK on tap (or river) water!
 

william webster

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If the dog flies below... as baggage... there are restrictions....Oct 31 to May 1...... no summer flying

I didn't say that well..... no flying as baggage before Oct 31 and after May1 or so.....

In cabin, small dogs/cats.... all year round,

Sorry to confuse things
 

Spicedwine

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Apr 25, 2006
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Westjet is year round. AA flight I took was far longer than the 4 hours flight to Canada on Westjet. Time for travel is important to a travelling dog. While I suppose attitude is a matter of timing, I can tell you the Westjet crew have been consistently dog friendly for my travels.

Yes Westjet travels year round, but in the off season months, only fly once a week. The time is more, but the break in Miami is not long, however, if you don't know how your dogs will travel, a direct flight might be better.
I also agree with getting them comfortable with their travel bag, no food, and no medications. Bottled water for my dog also.. Lots of opinions and options available...
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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Yes Westjet travels year round, but in the off season months, only fly once a week. The time is more, but the break in Miami is not long, however, if you don't know how your dogs will travel, a direct flight might be better.
.
I fly westjet regularly and they fly once a week at times but from three airports so three flights depart the DR weekly in low season. I have never experienced a stop over in miami and never heard of that one. Have only flown out of El Catey for the last while and that flight is a direct flight to canada and only 4 hours. The fact that they do not land in the US is an advantage for several reasons.
 

blitzpacker

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Aug 15, 2011
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Heavily talked about here.... search it.
Entry is easy w./ your vaccinations, etc and 300+/- pesos

WestJet is $50 in the cabin..... one per passenger
Not sure about Air canada

AA is $150 each way........ $$$$$$$$

Consensus here is that below is easier on the dog.... less stress/activity........ same price.
Hi William,
Thanks for the quick answer. That far I had gotten as well. Problem is, I believe if I am reading correctly, the dogs have to be very small to be allowed in the cabin. Our dogs are chihuahua/mini pin. They are over 12" and the soft crate may only be 8.5". The dogs will fit and be much happier if they can see us, but will they allow them on or force us to put them in the back... If you know anything else, it would be greatly appreciated!
 

blitzpacker

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Aug 15, 2011
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Thank you to everyone who replied. I tried to search the forum before posting, but for some reason I came up with 0 returns. Maybe I just used the wrong search words. To all of you people who travelled with dogs in the cabin, how tall were the dogs? Are they sticky about the size or does it only matter how big the crate is? Thanks again!
 

judypdr

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Jul 23, 2011
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Everything matters...the dog's size, the carrier's size, the airline's rules, etc. The best thing to do is to check with your airline for specifics. The US also has very specific rules about international animal shipping so I assume Canada does, too. And so does the DR. Every single bit of factual information you need is online somewhere on the web (not DR1). The people here with experience can give you annecdotal information about their experience and their specific pets, but you need to check for factual information for yourself. No shortcuts. You don't want to have any misunderstandings when you arrive at the airport with your "family" members (your pets) and have to leave them behind or suddenly arrange for putting them in the cargo area. Also, most airlines have a limit to the number of animals in the cabin so you have to make a reservation for the animals as well as the people! And you need to correct paperwork. Do your homework yourself. No offense, but it is important to know for sure what the rules are ....
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Everything matters...the dog's size, the carrier's size, the airline's rules, etc. The best thing to do is to check with your airline for specifics. The US also has very specific rules about international animal shipping so I assume Canada does, too. And so does the DR. Every single bit of factual information you need is online somewhere on the web (not DR1). The people here with experience can give you annecdotal information about their experience and their specific pets, but you need to check for factual information for yourself. No shortcuts. You don't want to have any misunderstandings when you arrive at the airport with your "family" members (your pets) and have to leave them behind or suddenly arrange for putting them in the cargo area. Also, most airlines have a limit to the number of animals in the cabin so you have to make a reservation for the animals as well as the people! And you need to correct paperwork. Do your homework yourself. No offense, but it is important to know for sure what the rules are ....

BTW, the cargo area is not near the passenger area... usually another building.
The dog goes either as cargo or as checked baggage.
Continental has no checked baggage for pets... just cargo.... its a pain

Judy is right, book your pet when you book yourself... its a separate booking... there are limitations.
AAirlines is 'first come, first served'.... for $150 each way..... you can be denied.
Watch for dog shows on your route - Not a problem for RD but if making a connection you can get stung.

Most airlines are very cooperative and will explain everything to you.

Here , on DR1, you can get confused...... talk to the horse's mouth!!
 

blitzpacker

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Aug 15, 2011
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Thanks to everybody who took the time to offer their advice and experiences. Of course I have been busy researching and will be calling the airline as the dates get a little closer. I did not expect anyone to do my due diligence, I was only hoping to get information from people who have travelled with their dogs before and understand how everything happened. That is much different than just finding answers. Experience is is priceless. What and how something works on paper and according to regulations is often quite different than reality. Thanks again to everyone who replied without self righteous comments!
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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My pet travels have been without incident......

Remember the '6 P's"

Proper Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance

Old Biz school proverb..........:chinese:
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Just booked WestJet to El Catey......... Mid-November

$56.99 for the dog as checked luggage ( $50 + taxes )

Pets allowed Oct 31 to May1... with restrictions during the Christmas holiday period
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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flight restrictions for dogs

With A/A as I understand their rules there is a temperature not a date restriction for flying dogs. It must be 84 degrees or lower upon departure and arrival. Their is a temperature feature at A/A cargo website where you can see the predicted temperature hour by hour. I have not seen any date restrictions with A/A. They also have a list of dogs they will not fly.